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I live in the UK and am an avid reader of YA, New Adult and occasionally adult fiction. I set up this website to give honest reviews about books I read and I also post reviews at Wastepaperprose. If you are an author, publisher or publicist and would like me to review a book, please e mail me here.

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Wednesday, 25 August 2010

The Crescent by Jordan Deen is an amazing book which I reviewed here. The sequel HALF MOON is coming out in 140 days and I'm so honoured to be part of the Half Moon cover reveal scavenger hunt!

Here are the details:

On 2nd September, 14 bloggers (including myself) will reveal the 'Half Moon' cover art. As an added bonus, we will all be posting an exclusive part of Chapter 2 of 'Half Moon'. You can read Chapter 1 by visiting Jordan's website here and clicking the Half Moon link to the left.

The contest is just like a scavenger hunt and you start and finish at Jordan's website here. Here are the rules:

1) You start and finish at Jordan's website. She will have a special post with all the bloggers hyperlinked in the order they need to be visited. I am first!!

2) You go to each bloggers website, check out their post and their portion of Chapter 2 of Half Moon. Within their section there will be one word that stands out from the others. Collect that word. You must follow each of the blogs and comment on each in order to be officially entered.

3) Once you have all your words, you return to Jordan's blog and post a comment of what you thought about Chapter 2 of 'Half Moon'. Then, send an email to: info@JordanDeen.com with the sentence that the words formed from the thirteen websites.

That's all! Once you have commented, followed everyone, and emailed Jordan - you are done. If you want extra entries- you can tweet this contest, add it to your blog roll, or share it on facebook. The contest will go from early morning on 2nd September and conclude at midnight on 9th September (just in time for Blogfest to begin!)

As for the prizes, one person will win all of the following:

Half Moon Swag

$25 B&N Gift Card

Journal

Jewelry Box

USB Camera/Video recorder

OMG that is a huge prize pack and I would so be entering if I wasn't part of it! So spread the word people! The contest starts on 2nd September and remember to check Jordan's website THAT MORNING to see the 'map'. Let the fun begin!

Have you heard of The Contemps? They are a group of 22 YA authors with contemporary novels releasing over the course of a year. They are passionate about realistic fiction and their mission is simple - to spotlight contemporary fiction for young adults through blog posts, author events, and sharing from their own teen years. The list of authors is impressive and you should definitely check out the site here. They also have a reading challenge going at the moment where you could win fabulous prizes.

If you know me at all, you'll know that I'm a huge fan of Maggie Stiefvater and own all her books. I just wanted to let you guys know that LAMENT is being released in the UK with a beautiful cover. The release date is January 2011. Although I've read it and own the US version, this is definitely going on my list of new year purchases. I only wish it could have been released sooner so Maggie could have signed it :(

As you may or may not know, Maggie is coming to the UK later in the year and her tour is being finalised this week. I'll be posting details when I know but you can bet I am going to be at one of them!

In other Maggie news, this went public just the other day...

"NYT bestselling author of SHIVER Maggie Stievfater, Tessa Gratton, and Brenna Yovanoff's package of stories, as well as conversations about where these stories come from, taken from their popular blog The Merry Sisters of Fate, from flesh-eating faeries and demons in love, to unearthly magicians and alternate histories, to Andrew Karre at Carolrhoda Lab, for publication in Spring 2012, by Laura Rennert at the Andrea Brown Literary Agency for Stiefvater and Gratton, and Sarah Davies at the Greenhouse Literary Agency for Yovanoff (World English)."

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine , that highlights upcoming book releases everyone is waiting on...hence the title. This week's pick is one that I've had my eye on for a while, only now it has a cover and a beautiful one at that. It's Across the Universe by debut author Beth Revis. Here is the blurb from GoodReads:

"Seventeen-year-old Amy joins her parents as frozen cargo aboard the vast spaceship Godspeed and expects to awaken on a new planet, three hundred years in the future. Never could she have known that her frozen slumber would come to an end fifty years too soon and that she would be thrust into the brave new world of a spaceship that lives by its own rules.

Amy quickly realizes that her awakening was no mere computer malfunction. Someone—one of the few thousand inhabitants of the spaceship—tried to kill her. And if Amy doesn’t do something soon, her parents will be next.

Now, Amy must race to unlock Godspeed’s hidden secrets. But out of her list of murder suspects, there’s only one who matters: Elder, the future leader of the ship and the love she could never have seen coming."

YA IN SPACE!!!! I am salivating!!!! Across the Universe is published January 11th, 2011 and I'm *hoping*going to get an ARC for UK Book Tours. If you can't wait that long, you can read the first chapter right here and my goodness, it's good! Horrifyingly good and now I want to read more!!! ARGH!

Wednesday, 18 August 2010

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine , that highlights upcoming book releases everyone is waiting on...hence the title. This week's pick is Overprotected by Jennifer Laurens which is published next year (no exact date as of yet). Here is the blurb:

"Ashlyn: A lonely society princess living in New York City.

Daddy hired you to be my bodyguard.

Colin: Childhood enemy, now her protector.

Daddy thought I’d be safe. He thought I’d never fall in love. He thought he could keep me forever.

Charles: obsessed with keeping her safe, keeping her his, he hires the one person he knows she could never fall in love with: Colin.

Tuesday, 17 August 2010

Anyone that knows me in the blogosphere knows that I am a HUGE fan of Jennifer Lauren’s books and so to say I was eager to read Absolution, the final book in the Heavenly series, is an understatement at best. I feel honoured to have read this before the publication date and guys, believe me when I tell you that you will not be disappointed. Before I go any further, if you have NOT yet read Heavenly and the most awesome sequel ever Penitence then...1. Where have you been? 2. You are SERIOUSLY missing out and 3. Go read them RIGHT. NOW!

I read this book in a day. I started it early afternoon, had to stop so I could go and have a social life (even though all I wanted to do was read the book) and then started again at midnight when I came home! I finished it at 4am. I was only supposed to read until 2am but then I kept making deals with myself – ok 2 30am, 3am and that’s final, oh alright 3 30am then suddenly it was 4am! Jennifer managed to do what Claudia Gray did in Hourglass which was to write something so compelling at the end of each chapter that just MADE me have to read on. When I finished reading the last book, Penitence, I predicted that there were going to be some major tears for this book and...I was right. Tears were STREAMING down my face and unfortunately I was still wearing mascara. NON WATERPROOF. When I caught a look at myself in the mirror I looked a complete mess! But it was sooooo worth it.

Absolution literally picks up where Penitence leaves off. Krissy is having a tough time at home after Brady’s funeral and finds solace in an unlikely hero. Luke is still battling his own demons and Britt is on the brink of destroying herself. Weston doesn’t know whether he can handle everything that’s going on with him and Zoe, especially now he knows her secret. And what will he do when he finds out about Matthias? Matthias is trying to stand back a little but is still there when Zoe is in dire need which is more and more frequent as Albert is intent on tearing Zoe’s family apart so that she will give into his desire for her soul. OH. MY. GOODNESS. people. The final book in the Heavenly series is definitely the darker of the three, there’s a lot of tension coming from all angles and Zoe is bang smack in the middle of everything.

I think I love each and every one of the characters in this series. Zoe has such a mature and distinctive voice, she’s definitely grown over the three books and I’ve enjoyed sharing the journey with her. Like Zoe, I’m IN LOVE with both Weston and Matthias, I mean how can a girl possibly choose between them?!?!? I also hold a special little place in my heart for Luke, possibly because I’ve always wanted a little brother and I want to save him from himself.

I like the fact that in this book, we find out a lot more about Krissy, even if her back story is less than ideal. And Chase remains one of my favourite minor characters. I love the fact that Zoe has never ditched their regular Starbucks outings just because she has a boyfriend, proving that just because you’re in a relationship, it doesn’t mean you have to ditch your friends.

Abria is a little sweetheart and has taught us a lot more about autism and what it’s like to live with a child who has the condition. It can he embarrassing, heartbreaking, tiring but also rewarding and a relationship full of love.

Overall, this was an excellent ending to one of the best series’ I’ve ever read and enjoyed. I was definitely sad for it to end and will miss Matthias more than I thought I would. I would love to see a spin off series or short story involving all the same characters. Ideally of course, another book would be good but I’m not sure that’s going to happen. I may just have to seek out or even write some fan fiction just so I can get my Matthias fix!

Whilst there is a sense of resolve to the story and absolution is definitely a fitting title, it is ever so slightly deceiving because not everything is absolute ;) If you don’t know what I’m going on about, you will understand when you’ve read the book. If I had a rating system, this would get five stars out of five and even more, if possible. Absolution is a compelling read that will take your breath away and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Released 1st October, 2010.

Whilst I’m on a roll, I want to say a special thank you to Jennifer for writing such an amazing series, your loyal readers are so appreciative of your work and your generosity towards book bloggers and readers with frequent contests and offers of help. I can’t wait to read your next book Overprotected and all the other books that come after that. Thanks for being an amazing writer and such a lovely lady.

OMG I love this trailer so much, it always makes me cry...

Jennifer Laurens has also written other novels such as Falling for Romeo, Magic Hands, Nailed and A Season of Eden. She has her own website which you can visit by clicking here and from there you can access the blog for Jennifer's musings and regular contests. Jennifer is also active on Twitter and facebook. As if that wasn't enough for you, Heavenly also has its own website which you can visit by clicking here to get more information about the book and its sequels. Jennifer's next book is called Overprotected and will be released next year.

So I’d heard about Guardian of the Dead by Karen Healey and was intrigued enough to join an ARC tour so I could read it. Having read it a little while ago now, I’d describe it as a refreshing debut novel that probably stands out because it is set in New Zealand and thus the language/slang is similar to UK speak than books written by US authors.

So what is it about? Ellie leads a normal teenage life at boarding school where she hangs around with her best friend Kevin. She’s an average teenager with all the same hang ups and insecurities as the rest of us girls. She works for the school newspaper and her other main focus is crushing on the very mysterious Mark Nolan. Having never really spoken to him, one day she literally crashes into him and they strike up a friendship. Only every interaction with him leaves her with gaps in her memory followed by crippling headaches. Coincidence? And what does this have to do with the fact that a serial killer who takes the eyes of his victims is on the loose in New Zealand? Could the murderer be closer to home than everyone realises?

Guardian of the Dead is an original story with sprinklings of urban fantasy and lashings of Maori mythology and legends. I really enjoyed learning about the Maori culture and it’s what gave this book its uniqueness. There are a lot of things that haven’t been touched upon before in other YA books that I’ve read. Firstly the main character is not some skinny, beautiful girl - she’s a little overweight and racked with insecurities. Secondly, her best friend is a guy and he is asexual. Not an issue you see popping up in YA books on a regular basis.

I’m still having trouble deciding how I feel about this book. I definitely enjoyed it and it stayed with me for ages afterwards but towards the end I felt it got a bit fantastical and arguably slightly confusing. I do still feel that it’s worth reading though and I look forward to seeing more from Karen Healey.

Thank you to International Book Tours for letting me read Guardian of The Dead which was published in January, 2010. There is no news of upcoming books as of yet. You can visit Karen Healey’s website by clicking here. She is also on GoodReads and Twitter.

Everyone who reads my blog will know by now that I’m a HUGE fan of Jennifer Lauren’s writing and so of course I’m working my way through her books. One that I was particularly attracted to was Falling for Romeo and I finished it within a couple of hours. At 197 pages, Falling for Romeo is a quick read but it certainly packs a punch! I enjoyed it from start to finish and couldn’t put it down.

Falling for Romeo is essentially about Jennifer and John, two teenagers who have lived next door to each other for forever and basically grown up together. Only their relationship changed a few years back when John became popular and they don’t socialise with each other anymore. Suddenly they find themselves in the lead roles of the latest school play which just happens to be Romeo and Juliet. THEY’RE GOING TO HAVE TO KISS! Can they become friends again? Or maybe more than just friends? Is it purely coincidence that they happened to land the lead roles?

I loved this book, everything from the plot to the main characters. It reminded me of my own school days as I was in a lot of theatre productions and once auditioned for a lead role just because of a boy. Actually, I chickened out of auditioning for the main role and ended up in the chorus but I still got to be near him. Oh dear, how I would do things sooo differently now. Anyhow, I digress. I really enjoyed the relationship between Jennifer and John, having grown up together, how they knew so much about each other which wasn’t always a good thing as they could use that information to hurt each other. There was a lot of witty banter going on between them but also a bit of “I hate you but I don’t know why”. At times I wanted to bang their heads together. I think you know where this is going but even though you may guess the destination, it’s still worth sticking around for the journey!

I’m still thinking about this book now and I loved John’s character – how although he was hot and popular, he wasn’t arrogant or mean. And he was humble at times as reflected in the red cheeks that surfaced every now and then.

Jennifer Laurens has admitted that this book is based on her real life experiences and I would just LOVE to know the real story. I would say this book reminds me of a modern twist on Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. It certainly shared some similarities and indeed the book is mentioned throughout so it’s not hiding that fact.

Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed it and it took me right back to my school days. If you want to read a book you won’t be able to put down, this is it.

Jennifer Laurens has also written other novels such as the very wonderful Heavenly series, Magic Hands, Nailed and A Season of Eden. She has her own website which you can visit by clicking here and from there you can access the blog for Jennifer's musings and regular contests. Jennifer is also active on Twitter and facebook.

Monday, 16 August 2010

Do you long for a place you’ve never been?Do you often experience the sensation of déjà vu?Have you ever fallen in love at first sight?Do you possess skills or talents that defy explanation?Are you haunted by fears or anxieties that make little sense?Do you feel unusually close to certain people in your life?If you answered yes to any of these questions, you may have experienced a previous life.

I have to say that I’m incredibly impressed with the quality of books that Penguin are publishing this year. They’re all on my wish list and The Eternal Ones by Kristen Miller is of no exception. I’m fascinated by the idea of reincarnation and so I knew that there was an extremely good chance I would like this book. I found it to be a real page turner and I actually made myself late one day because I just HAD to finish the book.

The Eternal ones is written in the third person and centres around Haven, a 16 year old girl from Snope City, a little town in Tennessee. She’s been talking about a boy called Ethan since she was eight years old and feels a pull towards New York City, a place she already knows like the back of her hand although she’s never been there. Haven’s visions of another life have become stronger lately and the religious community (which includes her strict grandmother) think that she is possessed by a demon. Whilst watching TV one day, Haven catches a glimpse of movie star Iain Morrow, who incidentally has recently been accused of murder, and can’t shake the sense of familiarity she feels towards him. He just so happens to be in the one place she has to go and so helped by her best friend Beau, she escapes to New York to find out once and for all, not only who she was but also who she is now and find answers to some very important questions – is Iain Morrow the boy she used to know as Ethan? Were they meant to be together again? Did he really commit murder?

I really enjoyed this story and my first impressions of the book were that it contained a lot of mystery and intrigue. I love the fact that Haven has been talking about Ethan her whole life and I also liked the religious aspect as an extremely good and very relevant conflict in the story. All the way through the book, I didn’t know whether to trust Ian Morrow or not. My immediate thought was that he WAS Ethan but then I had a strong feeling that he was an imposter and it must be a past rival who is trying to keep her away from Ethan. I won’t tell you what the real story is as I don’t want to spoil it for you so you’ll just have to read the book and find out for yourself!

As a character, I did think that Iain was a little bit controlling and demanding sometimes which annoyed me but then it annoyed Haven too so that’s good! She was a little too trusting at times though but her belief in Ethan was so strong that I guess she felt she didn’t have a choice. Speaking of Haven, I’d heard from a fellow blogger that she thought Haven was boring but I totally disagree with this. On the contrary, I thought Haven was really interesting with her dressmaking and drawing skills. Her home situation was full of conflict and mystery as her dad died and her mother had coping issues, leaving her under the care of a strict, religious grandmother. I particularly liked the way that Haven sometimes called her mother and grandmother by their first names. I went through a phase of this when I was a teenager although it had no implications to it for me. I felt that in The Eternal Ones, it showed a lack of closeness/intimacy.

Beau is Haven’s best friend-come-comedic-sidekick who counsels Haven through several phone calls when she is alone in New York. Beau is a good looking gay guy who is proud of who he is and isn’t afraid to stand up for himself against the backlash he receives from the religious crowd. Beau didn’t come across as effeminate in any way and I liked that he wasn’t stereotyped. He looked like a regular, good looking guy and all the ladies swooned after him regardless of his sexual orientation.

Moving on to the plot, it reminded me of a jigsaw puzzle. All the pieces are there but you haven’t quite put it together right yet. I was trying to second guess what was happening and I TOTALLY didn’t see the ending coming at all. I loved the setting of New York City but I also particularly loved the addition of Rome where some scenes took place. I have always had a thing about Rome. I’ve never been there but I’ve always held a longing to go there. Perhaps I'm remembering one of my past lives? ;)

I have a few comments about the book itself. Firstly, I loved the simplicity of the cover design and red is my favourite colour. Chapter one was essentially a prologue and so I was confused as to why it didn’t just call itself what it was. Is it because prologues are seen as unfashionable these days? I was also shocked at the number of chapters in the book, 66 in total. HOLY MOLY! Or maybe I said something a little more unrepeatable. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that has so many chapters (although I haven’t attempted The Passage by Justin Cronin yet so...LOL). I think the chapters could have been longer to condense the number down.

Overall, I really enjoyed the book and whilst I never expected the religious aspect to come into it, I think it’s very fitting to the story. And having read the book now, suddenly the symbol on the cover makes sense. I’m pleased to tell you all that there will indeed be a sequel but unfortunately, we’re going to have to wait until August, 2011 for it! Seems like such a long time :(

Thank you to Penguin for sending me a copy to read and review. If you have any doubts about how much I liked the book, put it this way, I liked it so much that I’ve just ordered my very own hardback copy. As a special treat, here are some samplers to wet your appetite...

If you are a UK book blogger, have been reviewing for approximately three months and want to read this, please click here as I will be putting this in a tour over on my other site UK BOOK TOURS.

Kirsten Miller is also the author of Kiki Strike. You can access the official website for The Eternal Ones here and there is also another site here. I can’t find a blog for Kirsten although it looks like she may write on the Kiki Strike website. There is a facebook page for The Eternal Ones but I don’t believe Kirsten is on Twitter. You can find her on GoodReads however.

Sunday, 15 August 2010

Having just read Wake by Lisa McMann, I couldn’t wait to get started on the sequel Fade as I had to know where the story was going to go next. Again, another quick read at 248 pages I devoured it in one sitting. If you haven’t read Wake yet, then please do not read this review until you have as I don’t want to spoil it for you.

Fade starts right in the middle of the action. There is something disturbing happening at Fieldridge High School and through a fellow student’s nightmare, Janie learns that a sexual predator is on the loose. With her unique ability, Janie seeks to reveal the culprit and save any other girls from getting hurt only she will have to become the bait and Cable isn’t really liking the idea. As well as the crime fighting, Janie is learning more and more about her ability from an unexpected source in the form of Mrs. Stubin’s journals. Janie takes longer and longer to recover from the physical symptoms of dream walking and finds out that the future is bleak. She has no choice but to accept it and share the knowledge of her fate with Cabel.

This time around, the scene is already set and the characters are already established so we can jump straight into the action. There’s still a few reveals however as we learn more about Janie’s ability and more about Cabel’s past and present secrets. Janie and Cabel’s relationship is still going strong and they do eventually end up in bed together. I’m not normally one for spoilers but I had to bring this up because a) c’mon you KNEW it was going to happen eventually and b) I felt that the sex scene was rushed. We’d built up to that moment with Janie and Cable becoming closer to each other emotionally speaking and then BANG it was over. You could argue that this was art imitating life as usually the first time isn’t often a prolonged experience but I still felt cheated.

Again, this book wraps up quite nicely at the end as graduation takes place. And I’m still wondering where the story is going to go next as I don’t remember picking up any hints. What’s frustrating for me at the moment is that whilst GONE has already been published, it’s only available in hardback and all my other copies are paperbacks so now I have to wait until November for the paperback to be released! Oh well, at least it’s something to look forward to.

Another enjoyable read, I’m definitely invested in the story and I’m looking forward to the third and final instalment GONE when I can get my hands on the paperback copy. Thank you to Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of Fade to read and review.

Lisa McMann is the author of Wake, Fade and Gone as well as her newest book Cryer's Cross which is due to be published in February, 2011. You can access Lisa's website by clicking here. Lisa is also active on Facebook and Twitter.

So I’d heard about Wake by Lisa McMann, first published in December, 2008 and I always thought it sounded interesting but never got round to reading it. Today I read it in one sitting. It’s a quick read at 280 pages and whilst it took a little while to get used to reading in the present tense and the date/time format used, I really enjoyed it. The concept of Wake was really refreshing and I have not read anything quite like this before.

Wake centres around Janie, a teenage girl with a less than favourable background who’s been falling into other people’s dreams since she was eight years old. It doesn’t matter who the other person is, if they are asleep and in close proximity to Janie, then she will enter their dream. Each person’s dream is different and most of the time she is just an observer but more and more frequently, the dreamer turns to Janie and asks her to help them but Janie doesn’t know how. Through her part time job at the local nursing home, Janie learns that she is not the only dream walker (my term for her skill) and starts discovering more about her talent and the implications it has for her. With only one girlfriend (who knows nothing about Janie’s secret), she strikes up an unlikely friendship with Cabel, a guy who has plenty of secrets of his own. Can they learn to trust each other? Can they help each other?

Janie was a fantastic character and I loved the fact that she is not the hot, blonde, all-American girl. She doesn’t have a perfect life; she’s poor and her mother is an alcoholic. Her father is never mentioned and she has no siblings to speak of. But she does have one loyal friend who keeps her sane. Janie is by all accounts a regular girl apart from this extraordinary talent of being able to slip into other people’s dreams. I loved this concept and from the outset it sounded like a gift but then I quickly realised that for Janie, it’s more of a curse. She cannot control who, how or when she is going to dream walk and sometimes there are things that you just don’t want to see!

I also really liked Cable who is shaping up to be one of my favourite love interests. Firstly, he has a really unique and memorable name and I LOVED how he transformed from geek chic to ‘WOW where did YOU come from?!’ I liked the typical teenage boy attitude; he wasn’t trying to be wise beyond his years. Cable lives with a lot of secrets and I was trying to second guess what they were with the snippets of information given to us but I never got it right. I’m really glad actually as I’m usually far too good at guessing the plot and twists in the tale. I’m pleased I was taken along for the ride this time.

One of the major issues running through the book is trust. Janie can’t trust her mother to take care of her or show interest in her but she can trust her to be drunk at all hours. Janie doesn’t always trust Cabel as she sees some disturbing images in his dreams and hears some particularly bad rumours about him which threaten their relationship. Both Janie and Cabel have to learn to trust each other with their secrets.

Overall, I found Wake to be an enjoyable and refreshing read. I loved both the plot and the characters. There is some swearing in the book which for me is acceptable and serves to make the story more realistic.

Wake was nicely wrapped up at the end, so much so that this could be a standalone book. In a lot of ways it’s nice not to end on a cliff-hanger as so many YA books do nowadays. Having said all that though, I’m still looking forward to reading the sequel FADE as I’m curious as to what direction the story will take us in. Look out for my review of FADE very soon. Thank you to Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of Wake to read and review.

Lisa McMann is the author of Wake, Fade and Gone as well as her newest book Cryer's Cross which is due to be published in February, 2011. You can access Lisa's website by clicking here. Lisa is also active on Facebook and Twitter. It was recently announced that Wake is going to be made into a movie (starring Miley Cyrus). I prefer to read a book before it is adapted into a movie so I'm glad I read this now before the movie comes out.

Wednesday, 11 August 2010

"Waiting On Wednesday" is a weekly event, originally started by Jill at Breaking the Spine , that highlights upcoming book releases everyone is waiting on...hence the title. This week's pick is Ripple by Mandy Hubbard. Here is the blurb from Goodreads:

"Eighteen year old Lexi Wentworth is cursed. For as long as she can remember, she’s spent every night swimming. If she doesn’t, she’ll regret it—simply walking will be agony, as if she’s stepping on shattered glass. Her body craves the water, demands the water, until she can’t say no.

But it's not the swimming that troubles Lexi. It’s the singing that goes with it.When she turned sixteen, her siren song killed the only boy she's ever loved. Now, she avoids the popular shores of the Pacific in favor of a long forgotten lake up in the mountains, where she can swim and sing in peace, far from the population of her oceanside home.

Until, that is, Troy Mills discovers her lake. He’s new to Lincoln City High, and he doesn’t know about Lexi’s reputation as an ice queen—a reputation she’s carefully cultivated to keep everyone around her safe. He pushes her, talks to her, forces her to dream of what life could be like if she weren’t a siren.

Lexi can’t stop herself from warming to him, from falling for him. Soon, he’s demanding answers, following her to the lake, unknowingly risking his life. How can she keep him safe when the one thing she wants most--to hold him close-- will endanger his life?"

Oooooh, sounds good right? Shame it's not due to be released until August, 2011 so we're in for a bit of a wait. In the meantime though, I'm quite interested to check Mandy's new book You Wish which was recently released. What do you think guys? I love the cover :)

Sunday, 8 August 2010

So I've come across a few cover reveals this week and wanted to share them with you and see what you thought...

First up is Delirium by Lauren Oliver. The ARC had a very different cover (which I also liked) but the final cover is quite striking. I especially like how the face is embedded behind the text and I think it will sit really nicely on bookstore shelves. I've been chomping at the bit to read this since I first heard about it, which seems like a really long time now and I can't wait until February, 2011 *sob* when it is released.

Next up is Entangled by Cat Clarke. I also think this is quite striking (it's the red hair that does it, I only wish I could pull off a look like that) and I love the henna like tattoo image in the bottom right hand corner. For some reason, I also like the fact that the font is all in lower case. I'm really excited to read this and although the release date is not until January, 2011 I'm actually going to get to read this NOW as I'm organising a UK tour for it over on my other website UK BOOK TOURS. If you live in the UK and have been book blogging for at least 3 months, you can sign up to any of the tours on the site.

The Sapphire Talisman is the follow up novel to The Emerald Talisman by Brenda Pandos. I've just purchased a copy of The Emerald Talisman so look out for my review in the near future. I love the background image which looks like it could be on one of those zen like posters you put on your living room wall. The sapphire Talisman is released in December of this year.

Proving that blue books continue to be awesome, this is the US cover for My Soul to Steal by Rachel Vincent. I think it's VERY striking and I love the addition of a hot boy on the cover! It's not released until January, 2011. As you may be aware, the UK covers look very different and I find it hard to choose between the two. However, my Rachel Vincent books are US copies so I'll be buying this one to fit in with the rest of the collection. Should probably start reading them then LOL.

And finally we have The Dark and Hollow Places which is the next book in the zombie series by Carrie Ryan. This is the UK cover and I have to say that I have always preferred the UK covers for this series and this one is no exception. It does however remind me of "Forbidden" by Tabitha Suzuma as the same barbed wire image of a heart is used on that book. Anyway, I still love it. The Dark and Hollow Places is released in March, 2011.

Just out of interest, this is the US cover. Which one do you prefer?

So Shannon Delany posts her new cover on Twitter about ten minutes after I write this post LOL so I've added her on to the end here. Secrets and Shadows is of course the sequel to 13 To Life which I LOVED. I think this cover is beautiful and I love the way it still looks a bit like the 13 To Life cover with the eye and the motif on the left hand side of the book. I also love the yellow-orange colours and I'm assuming it's Jess and Pietr on the cover. If they're heading off into the sunset could this be a hint at a happy ending? I sure hope so!

Wednesday, 4 August 2010

I have to admit, that I only heard about Clarity by Kim Harrington yesterday but WOW at the cover and WOOT! for the synopsis. Sounds like my kind of book and I'm excited to add it to the wishlist. Here is the GoodReads description:

"Clarity "Clare" Fern sees things. Things no one else can see. Things like stolen kisses and long-buried secrets. All she has to do is touch an object and the visions come to her. It's a gift.

And a curse.

When a teenage girl is found murdered, Clare's ex-boyfriend wants her to help solve the case — but Clare is still furious at the cheating jerk. Then Clare's brother — who has supernatural gifts of his own — becomes the prime suspect, and Clare can no longer look away. Teaming up with Gabriel, the smoldering son of the new detective, Clare must venture into the depths of fear, revenge, and lust in order to track the killer. But will her sight fail her just when she needs it most?"

Oh how I love a bit of psychometry and the beach setting is just perfect; I've always wanted to go to Cape Cod. Clarity is being published by Scholastic and won't be released until March, 2011.

Tuesday, 3 August 2010

Thank you to everyone who entered my contest to win an ARC of Torment by Lauren Kate. I was overwhelmed with entries and it kills me that I can only pick one winner. However, the good news is I found an extra copy so I'm going to choose TWO, yes TWO winners. Thanks to Random.org those two lucky people are...

*drumroll*

Lora1967

and

Nicole

Congratulations ladies, I've e mailed you both. Thank you to Random House Children's Books for providing the copies. Hope you enjoy Torment as it's a fantastic read! Stay tuned everyone as I'll be having more contests in the near future.